Welcome to ReefCentral.
Because of the sheer size of our forum, we've been forced to limit selling and trading to members who've met a couple of criteria. (If you're seeing this message, you haven't met them yet.) Please take a moment to acquaint yourself with our selling/trading rules to help make your stay a long and rewarding one.
Selling and trading on ReefCentral.

I realize the difficulties in keeping this fish, and I'm prepared to feed live if need be, but I was wondering how damaging a copper band was to clams? I don't have any clams right now in my reef tank, but plan on adding a few soon. I'd also like to add a copper band or two for aptasia control. No, I don't expect it to eliminate aptasia, simply control it. I do get it on occasion and I rather have natural predators for it. I've not had luck with peppermint shrimp (although they do love to eat my zoathids, torch and hammer (insert angry scream here) ) So I have written them off my list. I like the copper band fish, and it would be a nice addition, as long as they aren't prone to coral destruction like other butterflies. I know some people seem to do okay, others not, I'm more out to know what my odds are. (as I am sure it's not without some risk). Thanks

In twenty years I had one in four that was great for aptasia. The only other coral it went after was feather dusters. It was fine with clams also. It lived for 13 years before I lost him. The others I traded back to the store.

Mine ate my aiptasia at first but now he won't touch the stuff. He is spoiled with live black worms. He will also eat nori if it's soaked in selcon. I don't keep clams in my tank, but I do feed mine the occasional muscle from the grocery store and he eats it right up. So I personally wouldn't' keep expensive clams with mine. Mine has never bothered any of my corals. Great fish, with great personality. Mine is my favorite fish. He is so tame he will eat right out of my feeding baster. If I stick my hands in the tank he comes right up to them thinking he is going to get fed.

Have kept this fish twice. Was generally well behaved with corals and clams (just don't entice a new specimen to eat by offering clams ), but found it easily bullied by more aggressive fish like tangs. Consider tankmates if contemplating one IME.

__________________
Simon

Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones!

Have kept this fish twice. Was generally well behaved with corals and clams (just don't entice a new specimen to eat by offering clams ), but found it easily bullied by more aggressive fish like tangs. Consider tankmates if contemplating one IME.

I only have a couple of anthias, a starry blenny, mandarin, clown, and two sea horses. It's a 180 gallon tank + 30 gallon sump.

I realize of course whether or not it eats aptasia will be a gamble. I'd rather do that than put chemicals in the tank, and I do not trust peppermint shrimp for anything. I'll test the fish out in my shallow reef first and watch it for bad behavior. In there it will have no where to hide and be much easier to catch.

I have 4 clams in my 210g , 1 huge squamosa, 3 smallers crocea (2-3 inch) and none were touched by my cbb who eats frozen clams on the shell. I have the cbb for over 3 years, and no soft , mush or zoa being touch as well. I don't keep sps or lps in my tank.

Took me 4 tries to get a CBB to eat well enough to make it though QT.
She is still finicky and requires daily mysis, but is leaving the corals - mushrooms, nems, zoas, frogspawn - as well the aiptasia alone.
A wonderful, captivating fish.

I had one in my 180 eat pellets, nori just like a tang. Took care all of the aptasia. Did not bother corals. That was 4 years ago. I haven't able to get one eating in QT since to replace him/her

That's where I'm at right now. Although it was eating at the lfs, I can't get it to eat in QT. Hopefully it settles in and starts eating. I did put some rock from my sump into the QT and it has been picking at it.

That's where I'm at right now. Although it was eating at the lfs, I can't get it to eat in QT. Hopefully it settles in and starts eating. I did put some rock from my sump into the QT and it has been picking at it.

Hope she will start eating, what have you try to feed her? keep us update

Mine eliminate all the worms in the tank, especially medusa worms. All the aptiasia will be eaten in a few days. In fact I trying to raise aptasia in my QT system and macro algae. Every once in a while I bring a rock full of Aptasia and Caulerpa and put it into my DT. They will be clean in a few days.

My CBB has started to eat, but not as enthusiastically as I hoped. I've tried chopped clams, Brine shrimp, Mysis and live Black worms. Really thought the live Black worms would do it because my other fish go crazy for them, but so far she goes for the Brine and Mysis shrimp. I soak the shrimp in Selcon and feed her twice a day. She doesn't go after them right away, but will wait until they settle on the bottom and pick them off there.
Thinking of adding another fish to the QT to maybe spur on her eating response if she sees another fish eating. Maybe a Banggai Cardinal.

I had a CBB that refused to eat any thing that floated in the water column. The CBB would spend all day searching for food in the rocks and crevices but never would eat any of other foods until I made a feeder for it. This consist of a 1/2 inch pvc pipe around 3 inches in length with caps on both ends. Drill and reem out 6 or 7 (1/4) inch holes. Add you favorite frozen foods and mine started feeding almost immediately. I'm convinced that this natural feeding approach for CBB's is just an instinct for them. Yes mine finally will eat food in the water column but it still prefers the feeder. If you look up U tube they have a couple of videos on it. Highly recommend the feeder for CBB's.

My CBB was a little bugger to start with... refused to eat anything that wasn't live. Finally convinced it by taking a live mussel, smashing the shell a bit with a rolling pin and chucking it in... then progressed onto frozen mussel. Will now eat anything I Chuck in, even flake, but never from the water column.

Given their love for mussels and worms I wouldn't keep one with feather dusters or clams.

Out of interest, I also have a heniochus butterfly... it's demolished the few aptaisia I had. The CBB has never shown any interest in any anemone or coral.

I have had my CBB for about 1 1/2 years. He eats anything I feed except nori. I have rock flower anemones, zoas, acans euphyllia, SPS, duncans and he's never bothered any of them. He has eliminated the few aiptasia I had as well as every single feather duster. I don't have a clam.

Mine started to eat live black worms yesterday. I decided to try the black worms again and this time she was picking at them as they were wiggling and sinking to the bottom, once dead on the bottom of the tank she wouldn't touch them again until I turned the PH back on to give them some movement.
She also started to flash against the PVC so I started a round of Prazipro last night. I was concerned that the Prazi would suppress her appetite, but it didn't seem to phase her because she chowed down on the black worms this morning.